Rug and carpet underlay



May 8, 1962 H, A. MEAD RUG AND CARPET UNDERLAY Filed NOV. 23, 1959 FIG. I

FIG. 2

INVEN TOR.

Harry A. Mead ATTORNEY 3,033,723 RUG AND CARPET UNDERLAY Harry A. Mead, near Denver, Colo. (10060 W. 8th Place, Denver 15, Colo.) Filed Nov. 23, 1959, Ser. No. 854,706 4 Claims. (Cl. 15449) This invention relates to broadly-conventional, flexible sheet units extensively utilized to underlie floor rugs, carpets, and the like, with wear-minimizing, cushioning, and immobilizing efiects, and has as an object to provide a novel and improved such underlay of enhanced practicality.

A further object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved rug and carpet underlay of light weight, high durability, unique cushioning properties, and secure resistance to slippage.

A further object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved rug and carpet underlay that is susceptible of economical production from known and readily-available materials.

A further object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved rug and carpet underlay that is amenable to largely-automatic production through correlated continuous, as distinguished from intermittent, operations.

A further object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved rug and carpet underlay adapted for convenient subdivision into units of desired size without ccasion for subsequent marginal binding.

A further object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved rug and carpet underlay that is conveniently and repetitiously cleanable without deterioration.

A further object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved rug and carpet underlay that is uniquely resistant to damage and deformation through use.

A further object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved rug and carpet underlay that is characterized by notable insulation properties with respect to temperature variations.

A further object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved rug and carpet underlay that is expedient of production in a wide range of desired sizes and particularity of structural detail.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, my invention consists in the construction, arrangement, and operative combination of elements as hereinafter set forth, pointed out in my claims, and illustrated by the accompanying drawing, in which-- FIGURE 1 is a top plan view of a portion of a typical embodiment of the invention with laminations of the organization partially separated to indicate their initiallyseparate interrelation.

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary, detail section, on a relatively-enlarged scale, taken substantially on the indicated line 22 of FIGURE 1.

In accordance with and to give effect to the principles of the invention, my improved rug and carpet underlay is formed by the appropriate working and interbonding of two initially-smooth, expediently-identical, coextensive sheets and 11 of thin, flexible, impermeable, thermoplastic, synthetic material, such as certain of the so-called plastics commercially available in rolled sheet form. By virtue of its inherent properties ductile at appropriate elevated temperature, the plastic sheet material may be pressed and embossed as an incident of its travel between mating rolls maintained at a requisite temperature, and by means of such technique the sheet 10, which constitutes the lower face of the ultimate underlay, is processed to provide therein a plurality of like, integral pockets 12 of uniform small size uniformly spaced apart both laterally and longitudinally of the sheet to correspondingly open through the same surface of the sheet. The pockets 12 3,033,723 Patented May 8, 1962 may be of any desired or expedient shape in transverse outline and serve in a reliable and practical manner as suction, or vacuum, cups to retain the sheet 10 against slippage relative to a surface upon which said sheet is spread with the openings of the pockets opposed to the surface. Coincidentally with the processing of the sheet 10 and in appropriate correlation therewith, the sheet 11 is similarly processed through other heated rolls to provide therein a plurality of like offsets 13 uniformly spaced apart both laterally and longitudinally of the sheet in a number and pattern the same as and in an individual size exceeding that of the pockets 12 of the sheet 10. Each adapted to centraly house one of the pockets 12, the offsets 13 are desirably rectangular, preferably square, in transverse outline, of an open depth perpendicular to the sheet exceeding the corresponding dimension of the pockets 12, are separated one from the other by like narrow channels which establish for said ofisets an open interior size appropriate to spacedly envelop an associated pocket 12, and present fiat base closures parallel to the plane of the sheet 11 from which they project.

Simultaneously and independently processed to provide the pockets 12 and offsets 13 in identical patterned arrangement and an appropriate size proportion, the sheets 10 and 11 are brought into superposed interengagement in a correlation effective to center each of the pockets 12 within an offset 13 closed to the sheet 10 thereover and the contacting areas of said sheets 10 and 11 are then securely interbonded, as by the application of heat and pressure to the floors of the narrow channels separating the offsets 13, adhesively, or otherwise, to seal-close each of said offsets 13 to the underlying sheet 10 in enveloping relation with the pocket element 12 received therein. Interbonded as shown and described, the sheet laminations 10 and 11 with their pockets 12 and offsets 13 constitute a a flexible sheet unit employable as a rug or carpet underlay with the sheet 10 against a floor and the sheet 11 supporting the rug or carpet, in which disposition the pockets 12 opening to the floor secure and retain the assembly against slippage, as above noted, and the bases of the offsets 13 support the rug or carpet as an air-cushioned, yieldable tread surface supplemented by the resilient compressibility of the associated pockets 12.

Complete and practical in the construction thus fardescribed, the unit resulting from interbonding of the processed sheets 10 and 11 may be strengthened and reinforced, if and when appropriate or desired, through the provision of narrow flexible strips, or tapes, 14, of any suitable material, traversing and sealed to the floors of the narrow channels separating adjacent offsets 13, in either or both directions of channel disposition.

Manifestly adapted for continuous, economical production from durable, light-weight, inexpensive, available materials by automatic equipment functioning to apply known elfective techniques, the improved underlay of the invention obviates the shortcomings and disadvantages of analogous facilities hitherto provided and supplies superior cushioning effect with enhanced security of placement, extended utility, and novel amenability to cleaning.

Since changes, variations, and modifications in the form, construction, and arrangement of the elements shown and described may be had without departing from the spirit of my invention, I wish to be understood as being limited solely by the scope of the appended claims, rather than by any details of the illustrative showing and foregoing description.

I claim as my invention:

1. A bilaminate rug and carpet underlay comprising a first sheet of thin, flexible, impermeable material formed with an array of integral, like pockets interrupting an otherwise smooth face thereof, said pockets being aligned transversely and longitudinally of the sheet in a spacing of uniform separation exceeding the pocket transverse dimension to condition the major area of the sheet surface intersected thereby for direct, conforming engagement against anunderlying support plane opposed to the pocket openings, a second sheet of thin, flexible, impermeable material formed with an array of integral, like rectangular offsets sized and patterned to loosely envelop said pockets in individual registration therewith, said offsets being aligned as are the pockets in a spacing of uniform separation much less than the offset transverse dimension defining narrow channels therebetween based by correspondingly-narrow strip areas of the surface of said second'sheet interrupted by the offsets, flat, coplanar closed base areas on said offsets constitutinga tread area substantially coextensive with and parallel to'the strip-characterized expanse of said second sheet, said strip areas of the second sheet being bonded to areas of said first sheet separating adjacent pockets thereof in a symmetrical correlation with said pockets effeotive to individually seal each pocket within and out of direct contact against an associated oifset.

2. The organization according to claim 1, together with flexible reinforcing strips coextensively traversing the channels separating said offsets bonded in overlapped conjunction to the areas of the second sheet basing said channels. t

3. A bilarninate rug and carpet underlay comprising a first sheet of thin, flexible, impermeable, heat-weldable, plastic material 'formed' with "an array of integral, like pockets interrupting an otherwise smooth face thereof, said pockets being aligned transversely and longitudinally of the sheet in a spacing of uniform separation exceeding the 'pocket transverse dimension to condition the major area of the sheet surface intersected thereby for direct, conforming engagement against an underlying support plane opposed to the pocket openings, a second sheet of material the same as that of the first sheet formed with an array of integral, like, rectangular ofisets sized. and patterned to loosely envelop said pockets in individual registration therewith, said offsets being aligned as are the pockets in a areas of the second sheet being heat-Welded to areas of said first sheet separating adjacent pockets thereof in a symmetrical correlation with said pockets effective to individually seal each pocket within and out of direct contact against an associated offset.

4. The organization according to claim 3, together with flexible reinforcing strips of heat-weldable plastic material coextensively traversing the channels separating said offsets heat-welded in overlapped conjunction to the areas of the second sheet basing said channels and to each other at their crossings.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,073,858 Kaufman Sept. 23, 1913 2,633,442 "Caldwell Mar. 31, 1953 2,763,587 Masland Sept. 18, 1956 FOREIGN PATENTS 169,303 Switzerland Aug. 1, 1934 836,219, France Oct. 10, 1938 

1. A BILAMINATE RUG AND CARPET UNDERLAY COMPRISING A FIRST SHEET OF THIN, FLEXIBLE, IMPERMEABLE MATERIAL FORMED WITH AN ARRAY OF INTEGRAL, LIKE POCKETS INTERRUPTED AN OTHERWISE SMOOTH FACE THEREOF, SAID POCKETS BEING ALIGNED TRANSVERSELY AND LONGITUDINALLY OF THE SHEET IN A SPACING OF UNIFORM SEPARATION EXCEEDIANG THE POCKET TRANSVERSE DIMENSION TO CONDITION THE MAJOR AREA OF THE SHEET SURFACE INTERSECTED THEREBY FOR DIRECT, CONFORMING ENGAGEMENT AGAINST AN UNDERLYING SUPPORT PLANE OPPOSED TO THE POCKET OPENINGS, A SECOND SHEET OF THIN, FLEXIBLE, IMPERMEABLE MATERIAL FORMED WITH AN ARRAY OF INTEGRAL. LIKE RECTANGULAR OFFSETS SIZED AND PATTERNED TO LOOSELY ENVELOP SAID POCKETS IN INDIVIDUAL REGISTRATION THEREWITH, SAID OFFSETS BEING ALIGNED ASARE THE POCKETS IN A SPACING OF UNIFORM SEPARATION MUCH LESS THAN THE OFFSET TRANSVERSE DIMENSION DEFINING NARROW CHANNELS THEREBETWEEN BASED BY CORRESPONDING-NARROW STRIP AREAS OF THE SURFACE OF SAID SECOND SHEET INTERRUPTED BY THE OFFSETS, FLAT, COPLANAR CLOSED BASE AREAS ON SAID OFFSETS CONSTITUTING A TREAD AREA SUBSTANTIALLY COEXTENSIVE WITH AND PARALLEL TO THE STRIP-CHARACTERIZED EXPNASE OF SAID SECOND SHET, SAID STRIP AREAS OF THE SECOND SHEET BEING BONDED TO AREAS OF SAID FIRST SHEET SEPARATING ADJACENT POCKETS THEREOF IN A SYMMETRICAL CORRELATION WITH SAID POCKETS EFFECTIVE TO INDIVIDUALLY SEAL EACH POCKET WITHIN AND OUT OF DIRECT CONTACT AGAINST AN ASSOCIATED OFFSET. 